From Revolution to Politics: The Long March and the Rise of Mao Zedong (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Yang Bingzhang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book centers on the Long March of the Red Army in the 1930s and discusses the interrelationship between the Chinese Revolution and Chinese politics. The author utilizes a vast amount of domestic and international literature, archival records, and personal accounts to clarify several historical ambiguities. At the same time, he adopts a new theoretical framework, moving from "revolutionary ideals" to "political realities"—that is, explaining the gradual politicalization of the Chinese Communist Revolution to interpret the evolution of the CCP's political strategies and power structures. This transformation coincided with the establishment of Mao Zedong's leadership, and it was this very transformation, combined with the subjective spiritual force it provided, along with external factors, that enabled the Communists to achieve their ultimate victory. The book has generated significant impact in Western Sinology and is recognized as the authoritative work in English on the Long March and Mao's revolutionary thought. The author employs political science methodologies to construct a unique research system and model, using the transition from "revolutionary idealism" to "political realism" to explain the critical shifts in geography and strategy of the CCP, examining the gradual politicalization of Chinese communism in this process. The author's research perspective offers important insights for studying the history of the CCP in the 1930s.